Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Dee

Dee knocked gently on the door of Clarissa's studio before entering with her tray with tea. Bork almost knocked her off her feet as he rushed in to see his owner, closely followed by Coffee, the bouncy springer spaniel they got a few months ago. The new puppy was still a bit unsteady on his feet but didn't lack enthusiasm.

"Incoming," Dee warned, delighting in the laughter coming from inside the room. She paused for a moment, taking in the lovely sight of her fated mate. Clarissa looked absolutely gorgeous with the natural sunlight illuminating her red hair and paint covering her face and bare arms.

This was what love looked like, Dee thought. Providing an environment where a person could flourish and blossom to be the best and happiest version of themselves.

She set the tray down and carried the mug through the room, handing it over while kissing Clarissa's lips. They were warm from the sun and tasted vaguely like honey and mint.

"How's it going?" Dee asked, gesturing to the painting. There really was nobody who did landscapes the way Clarissa did. They weren't accurate portrayals but they captured the feel of being outside so well, it was like she managed to capture a tiny piece of nature and put it inside the canvas.

Clarissa brushed a strand of hair from her face, adding another streak of green. "It's not too bad. I'm mostly nervous, I've never done an exhibition this large. What if it's no good?"

"It's good. It's really good," Dee assured her. She'd worried that seeing Clarissa's rising success would bring back old feelings of bitterness or jealousy but they never did. She was proud, oh so proud, and happy. Weirdly happy. It was still a strange feeling but she was slowly getting used to it.

Bork barked and almost wagged his tail into the fresh paint.

With a soft chuckle, Clarissa scratched the border collie's head before ushering him towards the door. "I love you but you can't be in here."

Coffee let out a happy bark, imitating the older dog.

"And now you're teaching the puppy bad habits," Dee chided in an affectionate tone, also patting Bork. She picked up the puppy and floated her over, pressing her snout against Clarissa's cheek. "Smooch."

Clarissa kissed Coffee on the top of her head and then Dee on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too. Also, your dad called. He sounded good, actually. I think the new trial is working," Dee relayed, almost as relieved as Clarissa about that. She owed a lot to Mr Foster and an early departure from him would shatter her fated mate.

"I'm glad. I'll call him back later," Clarissa said, turning back to the canvas with a familiar pensive look. She was already slipping back into the zone.

"You keep painting, we'll get out of your hair," Dee said, kissing her fated mate once more.

"Thank you for the tea. Oh, I've run out of emerald green. I thought I had another tube but I'll have to stop by the craft store to get some later. Can I borrow some of yours in the meantime?"

"Of course," Dee replied, a smile lifting her lips. "Maybe you'll finally see that my brand of paint is superior."

A loud and genuine laugh bubbled up from deep within Clarissa. "Never."

It was that sound that Dee committed to memory. She lingered in the doorway, taking in the sight of Clarissa in her studio with a look of pure concentration and devotion on her face. If Dee painted people, this would be what she would put on her canvas so she could cherish this moment forever.

The mating mark on her arm tingled, just to remind her that it would.

Thank you for reading Her Painter Bear Mate. I hope you liked how Dee and Clarissa found their way back to each other and how their shared passion over painting. I'm admittedly no painter but as a writer, I think there's a lot of shared feelings when it comes to creating art so I hope that translated in how they were depicted.

The next book in the series, Her Embarrassed Bear Mate, will be about Alix (Clarissa's friend) and it's meant to be a disaster book full with hilarious awkward moments, second hand embarrassment, a wholesome romance, and lots of family drama. There'll also be appearances from Clarissa and potentially other characters from the series.